country, intolerant, resentful of its new countrymen and women. it's progressive leanings who has rejected reversions to the policies he holds responsible for the country's current difficulties. it likes its president, it roots for his success and believes america will win again because of its deep resilience. well can change. we are changing. and when we see failure, when we sea heart, we're not afraid to change. i learned that people are only truly pay attention to what they discover for themselves. in the morning hours of newtown, connecticut, in the horror of 20 young faces we learned what must be done because we saw what was being done to our children and grandchildren if we didn't. we gave up cigarettes, which gave us pleasure, because we discovered the damage they can do because of the horror they can do. we should be able to give up semiautomatic rifles. and that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. have a very happy new year.

hello. i'm milissa rehberger. welcome to msnbc's continuing coverage of the breaking news on capitol hill as it looks now, america will be going over the fiscal cliff in just four hours. even though republicans and democrats have agreed on a plan for tax rates as one part of the fiscal cliff negotiations, there will be no vote on such a plan in the house tonight. the lower chamber has adjourned until tomorrow at noon. but over in the senate, lawmakers say they could see a vote on that agreement some time before morning. >> i think there is going to be an attempt to try to bring this to the floor this evening. and so you're probably talking several hours before it would come to the floor. but i think they're going to do that decision. >> senator corker was echoed by senator tom coburn of oklahoma who explained why after weeks of no movement in congress there is a sudden push to get a deal done. here is with cnbc's larry kudlow. >> let me ask you, sir. do you think tonight there will

be a senate vote on some kind of deal? >> well, i think there should be very late tonight or early in the a.m., even if this gets enacted in the next couple of days, it's all going to be retroactive to january 1st. but the very point of it is when you have a deal of this nature, you need to get it passed before you start having all the interest groups start finding out everything they think is wrong with it and giving people excuses not to support it. >> and that tax deal was reached after intense negotiations between senate minority leader mitch mcconnell and vice president joe biden. here are some of the highlights. the proposed deal is set to raise over $600 billion in revenue through new tax increases on the wealthiest americans. the bush era tax rates would be extended for all single americans with income below $400,000. and couples with income below $450,000. all income above those levels would be taxed at a clinton era top tax rate of 39.6%. and capital gains taxes above

those amounts would also be increased to 20% up from 15%. the deal is also said to include a permanent fix for the alternative minimum tax and extends unemployment insurance for another year for two million americans. joining me now from capitol hill is nbc news capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell. good evening to you. >> good evening, milissa. >> with the house adjourned for night, what can we expect in terms of real progress tonight if anything at all? >> well, it's an unusual sight for a new year's eve, but there is a lot of activity here. you've got all of the senators who are still meeting and in their offices. there are negotiations that continue. and they have according to sources, refined things down to a couple of issues. the spending cuts that would be across the board for most federal agencies will also hit the military. those spending cuts referred to as the sequester there is a move now to delay that for two months. what that would do is it would allow congress more time to look for alternatives that wouldn't be so draconian to make additional cuts that would not

be arbitrary, but would be more well thought out. both parties would like to achieve that they're looking at a possible delay of two months. the problem with that is to delay it meeans the cost of the two months is to add to it the deficiency. they're looking for other ways to offset that cost. the argument here all trying to come down to deal with the long-term deficit. so any move that in effect adds to the deficit really undoes all of the work they're at. so it's an unusual night. there are pizza boxes around there are people who aren't normally here there are at least a handful of senators who are celebrating anniversaries that i've spoke to either tonight or tomorrow with spouses who are near or far. so it's an unusual atmosphere. it is still possible they say to get some kind of an immigrant on the senate side tonight. that's why they're staying late. the house has gone home. so in effect, the cliff going over is inevitable. but as you heard senator coburn mentioned, it could be retroactively dilt dealt with over the next few days.

and they don't want to lose the moment they believe they now have. even vice president biden might come over if they're close to a deal. more narrow issues are still dividing them. they've maid a lot of progress. they're just not there yet. milissa? >> i'm glad you just described that to us all about the mood in the senate tonight. correct me if i'm wrong, it almost sounds hopeful there. >> is a sense it's worth staying here and they're looking at these details. at the same time people are tired there are some frustrations there is a sense they could have gotten this done sooner. you hear that plenty. but those who have been at the table and looking at this do see compromise that has happened on both sides. you have republicans and democrats who made big compromises on taxes. the president moving up from his $250,000 threshold to 400 and 450 for individuals and couples. and republicans who wanted to see no tax increases for any level did agree, at least at this stage, that they would support tax increases. i say at this stage because this

agreement should it happen then has to be voted on of course by the full senate and the full house. and that will give us another bit of uncertainty. will members go along. the expectation is leaders are coming together and they're talking to their members, that if a deal is struck, there would be sufficient support in both chambers to pass it. all of these things have trap doors there is always a way it could go wrong. but there is enough encouragement that they're willing to stay here late into the night. >> kelly, stand by if you will. i want to go to nbc's kristen welker who is at the white house. kristen, we were just hearing about the mood in the senate tonight. what is the mood at the white house? >> well, milissa, good evening. i think the mood at the white house is hopeful. they are still optimistic that a deal is going to get done. i can tell you that senior administration officials continued to be huddled in meetings here at the white house, continued to be in close contact with folks on the hill as these negotiations move forward. one development that we have gotten in the past hour, milissa, is some opposition to

this deal that is emerging. and it is coming from union leaders. president of the afl-cio richard trumka just tweeted this. it's not a good fiscal cliff deal if it give morse tax cuts to 2% and sets the stage for, in his words, quote, hostage-taking. he is voicing the concern that because the taxes only apply or go up on those making $400,000 or more and $450,000 if you're a couple, that essentially it's not hitting enough people. and he is voicing the concern that there might be deep cuts. so there is some pressure coming from the left for democrats to not necessarily accept the deal that is on the table. now, we saw president obama come out earlier today and talk about the fact that look, this isn't a perfect deal. this represents compromise on all sides. part of the reason you saw president obama come out today is not only to pressure republicans, but also to pressure democrats to get the

deal done before this midnight deadline that is now so close and that is fast approaching. so there is some opposition that is being voiced from the left. could this impact the decision of some senate democrats? we'll have to wait and see, certainly. but, of course, when these deals come together, there are a lot of discordant voices. vice president biden, as kelly mentioned, is prepared to go to capitol hill if senate democrats meet and they decide that he is needed there, he will go over and meet with them. and he is of course has been critical to moving these negotiations forward. minority leader mitch mcconnell reached out to him over the weekend saying he needs a dance partner in these negotiations. vice president biden entered the negotiations, and things really seem to start to move forward. of course, the vice president having served for more than 30 years in the senate is no stranger to these negotiations. in fact, many would argue he understands the machinations of these types of talks better than

almost anyone here. and of course he has about 23 years of just working with mitch mcconnell. so the two men have a good working relationship, and some have said that vice president biden has been the good cop to harry reid's bad cop. 10 he has really helped to move things along. but right now things are merging behind the scenes. talks are continuing. again, the vice president, if he feels is needed will head over to the hill. milissa? >> do you see the same blame game going on as was happening yesterday with all the fingers pointing back and forth at each other saying it's your fault, no, it's yours? and do you any that we'll be hearing more from the president tonight? >> well, of course, it's always an open question if we'll be hearing more from the president. there is no word yet if we will actually be hearing from him tonight. it is getting quite late. so i think that the chance is diminished by the hour. but the president did point some fingers today. he had some sharp words for republicans in congress. essentially saying that they couldn't get a big deal done

because not enough of them would get on board. that really rangled some folks on the hill. some folks wondered if it was potentially the wrong move to come out today with such strong language in a campaign type event. but that has been part of president's strategy, to put the pressure on congress, by waging this public campaign, by using his bully pulpit to get the president on board with his tax plan and his tax policy that is certainly part of what we saw today. and the finger-pointing does continue behind the scenes certainly. milissa? >> thank you very much. let's go back to kelly o'donnell on capitol hill. kelly, kristen was just mentioning joe biden, the vice president playing a pivotal role in these negotiations. how pivotal a role do you think he and mitch mcconnell have really had together to this point? >> well, so far sources who are watching these negotiations sometimes in the room say it has made a very significant difference. now majority leader harry reid who had been the main democratic of voice until biden came in. and we're just talking about

when this moved to the senate over the last couple of days. reid is still a part of it. but what you bring with joe biden is those decades of experience, and understanding the mind said of lawmakers. he has been on both sides of deal-making over the years when he had the leverage or didn't have the leverage, and knows what it's like to be in a tight spot and willing to try to work things out and to get creative about finding solutions. what happens in these deals is that you have staffers who are experts in various areas when it comes to tax policy or spending. people who know the budget like the back of their hand. they're really at the table looking for those details. so you might have the big overarching thematic discussions that have been going on for a long time. i've had people in both parties say there is a fundamental trust between joe biden and mitch mcconnell that is helping things along. if that's going well, then it also benefits harry reid and it benefits speaker boehner arguably if people believe there is a sense of good faith going

back and forth. they might disagree on points this isn't easy, but they both believe if they're working towards the same goal, that's beneficial. that's what set off criticism among several republican senators feeling the president might have been mocking them at a time when they thought they were trying to get to the bottom of difficult deal. so there are a lot of sensitive feelings here. and the later it get, it's probably easier for the feelings to be bruised. but they're still at it, and they're still working. and there some degree of optimism. >> all right. kelly o'donnell on capital little and thanks to you and kristen welker that wraps up our up-to-the-minute fiscal cliff negotiations. you're watching msnbc, the place for politics. opened a new world. ♪ i have direct deposit on my visa prepaid. my paycheck is loaded right on my card. automatic. i am not going downtown standing in line to cash it. i know where my money is, because it is in my pocket. i got more time with my daughter, we got places to go.

[ freeman ] go open a new world, with visa prepaid. more people go with visa.

coming up, it was the tape everyone was talking about. we'll look at how mitt romney's 47% comments changed the presidential race. and later, from voter purchase to long lines, americans faced many obstacles to cast their vote this november.

ohio state senator nina turner joins me to discuss the fight for the right to veto. we'll be right back with our special edition of "the ed show," a salute to the middle class heroes. ♪ that over time, having high cholesterol and any of these risk factors can put them at increased risk for plaque buildup in their arteries. so it's even more important to lower their cholesterol, and that's why, when diet and exercise alone aren't enough, i prescribe crestor. in a clinical trial versus lipitor, crestor got more high-risk patients' bad cholesterol to a goal of under 100. [ female announcer ] crestor is not right for everyone. like people with liver disease or women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. tell your doctor about other medicines you're taking. call your doctor right away if you have muscle pain or weakness, feel unusually tired, have loss of appetite, upper belly pain, dark urine or yellowing of skin or eyes. these could be signs of rare but serious side effects. ♪

is your cholesterol at goal? talk to your doctor about crestor. [ female announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. welcome back to xoloitzcuintli, year-end edition. women's health care, equal pay for equal work, birth control. those were the issues that republicans decided to tack until 2012. it was a year in which republicans at the state level tried to force women considering an abortion to have an invasive and medically unnecessary ultrasound. pennsylvania republicans even proposed requiring women to view the ultrasound. governor tom corbett didn't understand what the fuss was all about.

>> making them watch and does that go too far in your mind? >> not make anybody watch, okay, because you just have to close your eyes. >> it was a year in which presidential nominee campaigned on defunding planned parenthood, wouldn't take a position on the lilly ledbetter fair pay act, and bragged about his hiring practices as governor of massachusetts. >> and so we took a concerted effort to go out and find women who had backgrounds that could be qualified to become members of our cabinet. i went to a number of women's groups and said can you help us find folks? and they brought us whole binders of women. >> it was a year in which republicans pushed for extreme candidates like todd akin and richard mourdock. >> if it's legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. >> i struggled with it myself for a long time, but i realized life is a gift from god. and i think even when life

begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that god intended to happen. >> it was a year in which he we had to hear rhetoric like this. >> and this contraceptive thing, my gosh, it's such inexpensive. back in my days, they used bayers a politician for contraception. the gals put it between their knees and it wasn't that costly. . that was the kind of year it was. and it all started back in february when republicans held a hearing on the affordable care act's mandate, no women testified. democrats were allowed to invite one witness. they chose georgetown law student sandra fluk. darrell issa rejected her as not qualified to speak on the matter. fluk eventually gave her testimony in front of a congressional panel and became a target in the biggest voice of the republican party, rush limbaugh. but before limbaugh could launch his smear campaign against a

private citizen, sandra fluk gave her first national interview here on the "ed show." great to have you with us tonight, sandra. now i understand that you had already planned your testimony. you were going to cite some examples of people who could have benefitted from president obama's mandate for birth control coverage. share with us what you would have told that committee today. >> that is what i was there to speak to the committee about. and that's why i was so stunned when chairman issa made the decision to not allow me to speak on behalf of those women, and to say that i was not an appropriate witness, that those women's stories were not appropriate for this committee. i cannot think of who would be more appropriate for the committee to hear from than the women who were affected by this policy whose lives were affected. one of the women i wanted to talk about today is a close friend of mine. she has polycystic ovarian syndrome. what that means is she needs to

take contraception for medical reason to prevent cysts from growing on her ovaries and not to prevent pregnancy. that technically means that should it be covered on georgetown student health insurance which does not cover contraception for prevention of pregnancy, but unfortunately, when university administrators and employers and insurance companies get involved in deciding whose health needs are legitimate and whose aren't, what happens is that women's health needs take a back seat to that type of ideology. and that's what happened in her case. and we found that that happens in 65% of the female students' cases. so for her, she was unable, they repeatedly refused her contraceptive coverage claims, and she had verification from her doctor. it doesn't matter. she had to pay out of pocket about $100 a month for her month after month after month, and eventually she just couldn't afford it. like many students just cannot afford that kind of a cost. and she had to stop taking it.

and i have to tell you, it's -- so what happened is after a few months of her not taking the prescription, a massive cyst grew on her ovary. and she woke up one night in the middle of the night in excruciating pain. she told me that it felt like she had been shot. and i just can't -- i don't want to imagine what that felt like for her. but what ultimately happened is she had that ovary surgically removed. she had to have it surgically removed. and as a result of that, of course she would have problems conceiving a child. but even more, it just -- it hasn't stopped for her. she -- she since the surgery has experienced symptoms of early menopause. and her daughters are very concerned that at the age of 32 she is entering early menopause, which means that there will be nothing any doctor can do to help her to conceive a child. and it will also put her at risk

for increased risk for cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis. and that's where she was this morning when i was attempting to tell her story to the public and to members of congress. she was at the doctor's office trying to cope with the symptoms she is experiencing. >> are people on campus, are they talking about this story? is this really hit the attention of women that you interact with professionally and in the school setting? >> oh my goodness, unless you've studied at one of these schools, i can't even explain to you what it's like on campus. we have been following these regulations for -- ever since the affordable care act was passed. and it's a fight we've been having for years, literally decades. students have been struggling for this. so this makes such an incredible difference in our lives, in the lives of so many women. >> sandra fluk, i really appreciate you being here tonight. i know they watch on capitol hill. grade testimony here on "the ed show." and i think you're probably

going get an opportunity to talk more with people who will be in a position of making a decision that will affect the lives of women. i really appreciate you being with us tonight. thank you so much. >> thank you for having me. >> you bet. coming up, mitt romney's caught on tape comments revealed his true feelings about the poor in this country, next. how the 47% changed the presidential race. and we traveled the country to bring you the stories of workers fighting to keep their jobs as republicans tried to dismantle labor unions. later, john nichols joins me on the future of organized labor, and much more. stay tuned.

welcome back to "the ed show." thanks for watching. one video defined this year's presidential campaign more than anything else, mitt romney and the 47%. >> been told this, don't worry, we'll take care of them how are we going to do it? in two months before the elections to convince everybody you've got to take care of yourself? there are 47% who are with him who are dependent upon them that believe they are victims, that believe government has the responsibility to care for them, who believe that they're entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it. it's entitlement. and government should do it. and they will vote for this president no matter what. and the president starts off with 48, 49. he starts off with a huge number. these are people who pay no

income tax. 47% of americans pay no income tax. so low taxes doesn't connect. he'll be out there talking about tax cuts for rich. that's what they sell every four years. and so my job is not to worry about those few. i'll never convince them. what i have to do is convince the 5 to 10% in the center that are inters, that are voting one way or the other fending in some cases on emotion, whether they like the guy or not. >> does mitt romney really think that people in this country want to be on medicare, that they want to be poor, that they want to be disabled? that they want to have assistance? is that really the path that he thinks that americans want to take? and most americans i believe tonight, especially liberals are going to be absolutely offended by the comment. my job is not to worry about those people. i'll never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives. personal responsibility.

personal responsibility. those of you who are in nursing homes, those of you who are in wheelchairs, those of you who depend on assistance by the government because we are a government of compassion, we have always been a country of compassion. but all of the sudden the republicans are putting up a candidate who wants to wipe away that because we want to privatize everything. the obama campaign has also responded. it's shocking that a candidate for president of the united states would go behind closed doors and declare to a group of wealthy donors that half the american people view themselves as victims entitled to handouts that are unwilling to take personal responsibility for their lives. it's hard to serve as president for all americans when you've disdainfully written off half of the nation. and that is exactly what mitt romney has done here with this statement behind closed doors. for months on this program, i have asked will the real mitt romney please stand up. in this video recording that he didn't know about, he got behind closed doors, we saw the real

mitt romney. he did stand up. he doesn't give a damn about those who need assistance in the country. and it cuts to the very fabric of who we are as a country that we are a society we are a country of compassion, that we want to help people who are downtrodden. well want to help people who have been dealt a really tough deck of cards, whether it be in the economy or whether it be health care, as of no fault of their own, or circumstances that are put on families that are totally out of their control. mitt romney wants to do away with those. we views those people basically as road kill. and he is not even going to communicate to them, and he is not going to offer up a better plan to make their lives better. he just says they should be personally responsible for who they are and where they are in america. but romney made the matters only worse for himself. >> it's not elegantly stated. let me put it that way. i'm speaking off the cuff in response the a question. and i'm sure i could state it more clearly and in a more

effective way than i did in a setting like that. and so i'll -- i'm sure i'll point that out as time goes on. but we don't even have the question given the snippet there nor the full response. and i hope the person who has the video would put out the full -- the full material. >> no, no, no, wait a minute now. don't have the question? just a snippet? we played the full question and answer last night on this program, and we were not alone in doing. so president obama supporters were surprised and disappointed when the president didn't mention romney's 47% remarks in the first debate. but president obama made up for it later. in the second debate, on the final question when romney could not respond, president obama got the final say on the 47%. >> when he said behind closed doors that 47% of the country considered themselves victims who refuse personal responsibility, think about who he was talking about.

folks on social security who have worked all their lives, veterans who have sacrificed for this country, students who are out there trying to hopefully advance their own dreams, but also this country's dreams, soldiers who are overseas, fighting for us right now. people who are working hard every day paying payroll tax, gas taxes, but don't make enough income. and i want to fight for them. that's what i have been doing for the last four years. because if they succeed, i believe the country succeeds. there. >> is a lot more coming up in the next half our of "the ed show." stay tuned. >> i just got to say this. what we shouldn't be doing is trying to take away your rights to bargain for better wages and working conditions. >> two in 2012, president obama came up big for workers. but not before the workers came up big for him. john nichols of "the nation" magazine on the year in labor, next.

voter id. which is going to allow governor romney to win the state of pennsylvania, done. >> and in 2012, republicans thought they could suppress their way to the white house. but the voters would not be denied. >> we will not be turned around. >> ohio state senator nina turner joins me ahead. ompanies . here a cheap, there a cheap, everywhere a cheap... you get it. so, what if instead of just a cheap choice, you could make a smart choice? like, esurance for example. they were born online and built to save people money from the beginning. it's what they've always done. not just something they cheap about. that's insurance for the modern world. esurance. now backed by allstate. click or call.

your mouth has sipped, snacked, ...yellowed... lived, loved, ...yellowed... chatted, chewed, ...yellowed. and over all those years, your teeth...have yellowed. fact is, if you're not whitening,

you're yellowing. crest 3d white whitestrips remove over ten years of stains by going below the enamel surface. and, they whiten 25 times better than a leading whitening toothpaste. crest whitestrips. life opens up when you do. good to have you back with us. thanks for watching this special year-end edition of the "ed show." we covered workers issues all yearlong, but we wondered how the middle class would come out and vote on election day. well, in the end, the middle class workers turned out in record numbers to reelect president obama. his victory was never a sure thing. the story i think starts with workers in wisconsin in 2011. let's roll it back. republican governor scott walker threatened to destroy collective bargaining in the state. workers staged massive protests and launched the first recall election in the state's history. we covered the recall from madison.

>> polls close in an hour here in wisconsin, and we have already seen a ground operation unlike anything in wisconsin political history. >> what we're seeing here in wisconsin is something that is proving to be far more powerful than money, and that is the power of the people. >> of course, governor scott walker survived the recall. republican operatives were delighted. they claimed this was the end of organized labor. >> it is a blow for organized labor, particularly organized labor's represented in public employee unions. it's going to embolden other efforts in other states by governors. it's going to put into play in november. >> karl rove, who was later taken off fox news and his buddies were also wrong. middle class voters helped reelect president obama four months later. wisconsin also elected the first openly guy woman to the united states senate, democrat tammy baldwin defeated tommy thompson by five points.

it turns out labor is alive and well. in fact, workers across america help us understand what mitt romney could mean for the economy. >> this is "the ed show." let's get to work. [ cheering ] >> we followed the workers' stories to freeport, illinois in october. bain capital has shut down the sensata plant and they were going to ship some 200 jobs to china. >> the three of us have been arrested defending american jobs. we're waiting. come on out here and talk us to. >> what would you say to him? >> save our jobs. >> over the summer, more and more workers started coming forward with horror stories about bain capital and the bain economy. workers at gst steel made national headlines. >> when you take away all the good paying jobs such as we had here at gst steel in kansas city, the middle class is going to become extinct. >> the republicans answered with misleading ads and huge lies.

like this ad romney ran in the state of ohio. it claimed jeep was moving to china because of the automobile loan, and it was totally false. and it totally backfired on the camp. it toe workers and their families turned out in full force on election day. and of course president obama won ohio. middle class americans across this country stood in long lines to cast a vote for the candidate who would help them the most. they ignored the republican threats about a failing economy. the republicans wanted to kill organized labor. in 2012, they may have given it new life instead. here is someone who has been with us all yearlong covering workers' issues. joining me tonight, john nichols, washington correspondent of "the nation" magazine. john, it has been a very eventful year when it comes to labor. has labor been emboldened by the obama victory in november? and is there really been a new

stage set for what they can accomplish? >> i think so. i think labor changed over the last year and a half, and especially over the last year. one of the things is that it is safe to say that a lot of unions, not all of them, but a lot were on autopilot. they had a sense of how politics worked. they had a sense of how government worked, and they fit into that. what happened in wisconsin and in ohio in 2011 forced unions to start to rethink, to start to recognize that there really were powerful forces that were out to get them. that made an awfully lot of unions, teachers unions, firefighters, recognize that they had to fight for their very livelihood. i think it made them much leaner, meaner, and more effective political players. and once you've started to win tough battles as has happened in ohio, as has happened in a number of states nationally in november, then you start to think about what you might be able to accomplish not in a

defensive position, but in an affirmative position. >> of course, the conservative movement in this country has vilified unions for last 30 years. and of course, they want to take out their infrastructure. operatives like karl rove have been very clear about how forceful they want to go after unions to tear down the last great bastion of infrastructure for the democratic party, which is labor unions. but do you think it has awakened another level of workers in america that are not involved in organized labor? >> i think there is simply no question. that's exactly what has happened. because people who were never members of unions were out there in those demonstrations in michigan, in ohio, in wisconsin, also in places like new york city and los angeles as part of the occupy movement, and more recently as part of the protests against walmart as part of the fast food workers' walkouts and

strikes that have occurred. the fact of the matter is that we've got a new era for labor, and it isn't fully defined. a lot of unions are starting to figure out how to work with people who aren't members, a lot of people who aren't members or unions are trying to figure out how they would fit into a labor movement. a lot is going to change. but the fact is that labor is no longer on autopilot. labor is really affirmatively moving into new areas. and that's going to change not just our politics, but potentially our work life. >> and if you look at the tax policies of the republicans that. >> want to favor the rich all the time, which brings me to the point, did republicans get into trouble when they talked about funding for teachers and police officers and firefighters? and this basically i think set up the scenario for the obama campaign to target in on the middle class and the people who had been targeted by the right wing back in 2011. >> you're so right, ed. in fact, i reported with you on election night. i was in the teamsters hall in

toledo, ohio. and off camera, i would talk to the teamsters who were there, folks not just from that union, but from other unions. they said you know, we started working on this november 2012 election back in 2011. >> yeah. >> we recognized that we were under assault, and we had to -- we couldn't just stop when we won a referendum or a single vote. we knew it was long-term fight. >> all right. john nichols, it's been a great year. we look forward to 2013. great to have you with us tonight. thank you so much. coming up, we discussed a lot of serious topics in this election year. but here at "the ed show," we still had time for a few laughs. we'll look at some of the lighter moments, next. stay with us. ♪ doing it with a cold, just not going to happen. vicks dayquil -- powerful non-drowsy 6-symptom cold & flu relief. ♪ no matter what city you're playing tomorrow. [ coughs ] [ male announcer ] you can't let a cold keep you up tonight.

♪ vicks nyquil -- powerful nighttime 6-symptom cold & flu relief. ♪

up next, coach ed. that would be me, gives the president a pep talk. and i've got a bedtime story for t-pa. and later, republicans trying to block the vote and hand mitt romney a victory on election night. but voters across the country refused to be silenced. state senator nina turner joins me on the continuing fight against voter suppression. stay tuned. you're watching the "ed show's" salute to middle class era. [ woman ] ring. ring. progresso.

your soups are so awesomely delicious my husband and i can't stop eating 'em! what's...that... on your head? can curlers! tomato basil, potato with bacon... we've got a lot of empty cans. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

welcome back to "the ed show." the 2012 presidential campaign was intense start to finish, but we here at "the ed show" also took time to poke some fun at the candidates, you know. during our coverage of the new hampshire primary, failed presidential candidate tim pawlenty of minnesota told me he

couldn't stay awake long enough to watch "the ed show." the very next night, we decided to give 2% timmy a sleepbate. >> good night to unions, good night to health care, good night jobs, good night clean air. good night, public education. good night, immigration. good night, wall street regulation. good night, middle class. good night auto czar. good night dog on the roof of the car. good night roe v. wade. guide marriage equality. guide to the old lady whispering "don't privatize social security." guide, medicaid. guide, medicare. guide, american dreams everywhere.

sweet dreams, t-p a sleep just s good as you ever presidential campaign. nighty night. >> they were easy to pick on. good targets, don't you think? but just to be fair and balanced, we had some fun with president obama's performance in the first debate. the president was really off his game that night in denver. so, well, the very next night, i had to give liberals some hope during a postgame news conference. >> all right. not a good night. we didn't play very well. unusual for us. we're a hell of a team. we got a long way to go. i know you're not happy. i heard the fans. i heard it. and you're hearing it from me. we're better than that. >> what about your point guard? >> point card is fine. obama is great. that's why we recruited him in 2007. he is a hell of a player. we won championships with him before. we're going to win begin. >> coach, there going to be a lineup? >> no there is not going to be a

lineup change. look, did he turn the ball over? yes. did he throw the ball out of bounds? yes. he missed a few layups, but he is still my guy. we're not changing the lineup. i told you guys when you started covering this team in the year earl year, this is a long road. i don't know about playing in altitude. the kid seemed pretty good before the game we thought we would play very well. we didn't. we got to get over it. >> coach, what about the other team? >> if you guys want to go out and crown them the champion, you go right ahead and do it. but i think you would be making a huge mistake if you did that. i mean i know -- you know what we got to do? we got to get to work. >> we're not sure if president obama saw the press conference, but he sure did destroy romney in the next final two debates. coming up, long lines couldn't keep voters from casting their ballots, despite republican attempts to keep them away from the polls. ohio state senator nina turn

owner the fight against voter suppression, next. this is america. we don't let frequent heartburn come between us and what we love. so if you're one of them people who gets heartburn and then treats day after day... block the acid with prilosec otc and don't get heartburn in the first place! [ male announcer ] one pill each morning. 24 hours. zero heartburn. blast of cold feels nice. why don't you use bengay zero degrees? it's the one you store in the freezer. same medicated pain reliever used by physical therapists. that's chilly. [ male announcer ] new bengay zero degrees. freeze and move on.

welcome back to "the ed show" year-end special. leading up to the 2012 elect we saw unprecedented efforts by republicans to suppress the democratic vote. 18 states have passed some kind of voter suppression measure since early 2011. some of the toughest laws came out of swing states with republican governors, states like ohio, pennsylvania, wisconsin, and florida. in ohio, early voting hours were

cut and new rescriptions were put on absentee ballots. down in florida, republicans put reskriks on early registration, banned felons from voting for five years. luckily after public outrage, the voter purge failed. meanwhile, states like pennsylvania and wisconsin put in place strict voter id laws. pennsylvania's law was eventually struck down, but misleading signs and billboards like this one were put up to try and trick voters. these suppression efforts directly targeted minority in low income areas there is no doubt they were meant to help elect mitt romney as president of the united states, and republicans admitted it. >> voter id, which is going to allow governor romney to win the state of pennsylvania, done. >> ohio county gop chair doug price put it this way. he said, quote, we shouldn't

contort the voting process to accommodate urban red african-american voter turnout machine. not accommodating all voters led to record long lines on election day. in the state of florida, there were reports of people waiting in line as long as seven hours to vote. these voter suppression tactics must stop, and president obama said he wants action on it. >> whether you voted for the very first time or waited in line for a very, very long time, by the way we have to fix that. >> in the wake of all of this, california senator barbara boxer introduced the line act. it would require an election commission to set new national standards by january 1st, 2014. this commission would decide the minimum number of voting machines, workers, and other resources. the act would hopefully keep voting lines under one hour-long.

in the end, the republican voter suppression measures didn't work. tonight we want to honor voters who turned out in huge numbers and waited a long time to cast their votes in the states we're talking about. they didn't quit. and president obama came away with the win. i'm joined tonight by ohio state senator nina turner. senator, good to have you with us. we commend you here on our year-end special tonight. >> thanks. >> you have been absolutely the stalwart fighter in ohio, an information source and a real leader and inspiration in many ways. what do you think the federal government can do to curb voter suppression now that we have been through it in 2012? what can the government do, if anything? >> well, thank you, ed. and you've been quite a champion yourself. but the federal government needs to aggressively enforce the voting rights act, the civil rights act, and any other federal institutes that are on the book. for example, through help america vote act, there was a commission established called

the elections assistance commission. that is supposed to be a bipartisan commission with four members. it doesn't have members because the republicans have been holding that up in congress. it is very important that those on the federal level enforce the laws that we have there. and that elections assistance commission would go a long way. would be a clearing house for some of the best practices in this nation to continue to drive the polls, that voting should be for everybody, not a select few. and we really need to make sure that the federal government uses the tools that have in their tool box and not idly sit by and let things happen in the state and across the country. >> in your state of ohio, republicans unfairly targeted minority and low income areas with voter suppression tactics that is well documented. >> yes. >> but if this law were to pass, the line act that senator boxer has put in place, would this really clear up the problems you saw in 2012? >> i think somewhat, ed, and i commend senator barbara boxer for standing up for all voters

in this country. but ultimately, voters hold the key. and voters have got to continue to vote for policymakers and executives who respect the power of the vote, and not those who try to suppress it. so even though the feds need to do their job, senator boxer, i give a big shout out to her, ultimately we have to continue to empower voters. ed, my biggest fear is now that the shining bright lights of the presidential election is over that folks will forget there are elections all over this country every single year. as you stated in your intro, there are voter id laws on the books right now. and so we have to stand up and continue to be a champion for voters all across this country, including the state of ohio. and i certainly plan to lead the charge along with my other colleagues in the new general assembly to push for election laws that create a level playing field for all voters. >> you know, we had talked back in october and leading up to the election that this was going to motive the